Sustainable aspects of the prison include: Specified parking for alternative transportation; reduced site disturbance; storm water management; low-flow plumbing fixtures; optimized energy performance; and an exterior designed to reduce the heat island effect, the story stated.

The sustainable aspects that were built into the prison have paid dividends and have not negatively affected daily operations, the story noted.

Bill Downs, senior project manager for the construction of the prison, said: "It really was almost business as usual for the most part because a lot of the equipment that we put in is energy efficient already. The components are out there to enhance whatever construction is going on and they are not significantly higher in price. A lot of the manpower at the Butner project went to man-hours doing reports, documenting and putting statistics together that you don’t usually do with a construction job."